Adaptive behaviour and paddle tennis: a case study of Down’s syndrome

Abstract

Adaptive behaviour is one of the key elements to diagnose intellectual disability. In addition, these be-haviors are crucial in order to operate on the daily life. As a population with a high risk of developing a sedentary lifestyle, adapted physical activity programs for people and children with intellectual disability are needed. Therefore the aim of this study is to assess the influence of adapted paddle tennis intervention program on the adaptive behaviour of a child with Down’s syndrome. In a case study of child with Down’s syndrome (male, Caucasian, age = 4.5 years), he participated on a paddle tennis program with a length of 12 weeks. The child’s parents assessed the adaptive behaviour before and after the program through the Adapted Behaviour Scale (ABS-S:2). Obtained data showed that three domains presented a positive increasing. Parents reported that physical development increased from 19 to 23.5, and this in-crease was corroborated by the instructor (post score = 23.8). Moreover, language development increases from 18.5 to 28 (parents). The paddle tennis instructor perceived an increase in speaking abilities after the program. The self-management domain also showed an increase from 8 to 17. The adapted paddle tennis program is suitable for promoting physical activity and for improving adaptive behaviour in children with intellectual disabilities.